The longest and most expensive public investigation in British legal history entered its final phase Monday with lawyer Christopher Clarke beginning a two-day closing speech intended to provide an overview of the evidence heard by the Bloody Sunday Inquiry. British Prime Minister Tony Blair established the inquiry in 1998 to investigate the 1972 killing by [...]

As the European Commission begins its work Monday, new objections are being raised as to the suitability of the France's commissioner. Some European Parliament members are calling for the suspension of Transport Commissioner Jacques Barrot for failing to disclose a previous conviction for embezzlement during his confirmation hearings. Barrot initially received a suspended prison sentence [...]

Here's a run-down of law-related events, expected developments and live webcasts on JURIST's docket for Monday, November 22. The trial of Fatmir Limaj and his co-defendants continues Monday at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. Watch a webcast of the trial beginning at 9:30 AM local time (3:30 AM ET); the webcast is [...]

A US District Court judge refused Sunday to issue a temporary restraining order barring the hand-counting of ballots in the recount of Washington's governor's race. The lawsuit, filed Saturday by the Washington State Republican Party, asked the court to bar hand-counting of ballots that are rejected by voting machines. State rules require a machine recount [...]

Members of the Paris Club agreed Sunday to write-off $31 billion in Iraqi debt. All 19 members of the multinational group of creditor countries, which include France, Germany and the US, agreed to eliminate 80% of Iraq's $39 billion debt over the course of 3 years. 30% of the debt will be eliminated immediately, and [...]

Expressing frustration over slow extradition processes, Peruvian state attorney Nelly Calderon said Sunday that the International Court of Justice should be called upon to take the case against former President Alberto Fujimori. Fujimori fled Peru for Japan in 2000 and various requests for extradition have failed. Fujimori is accused of corruption and of responsibility in [...]

Following up on a story reported earlier today in JURIST's Paper Chase, King Hamad of Bahrain commuted the year-long jail term of human rights activist Abdul Hadi al-Kharwaja shortly after his sentencing on Sunday. Although he did not pardon al-Kharwaja of the charges laid against him, he stressed the need to preserve democratic reforms made [...]

Rick Hasen, Loyola Law School Los Angeles: "The incumbent mayor, Dick Murphy, will be reelected unless one of the three lawsuits currently pending is successful, or unless there is a recount that will lead to a different result. News stories on the end of counting showing Murphy in the lead are here and here. I [...]

The defense team for more than 100 Mauritanian soldiers and civilians accused of a coup attempt said Sunday they will boycott a trial they view as unfair. The lawyers cite the appointment of 2 military officers as judges and removal of the trial to a distant military base. The lawyers put a halt to the [...]

Peru says it will ignore any ruling by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights advocating the release of American Lori Berenson. Berenson has been jailed in Peru since her 1995 arrest and 2001 conviction for terrorist collaboration with Marxist guerrillas, the Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement. She was originally sentenced to life in prison, but was [...]